Less Gen Z Americans own a driver's license than previous generations, according to consulting firm McKinsey.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/10937558

This group of Americans is less likely to have a license than its older counterparts at the same age. McKinsey points out that in 1997, 43 percent of 16-year-olds and 62 percent of 17-year-olds held a license. But those numbers have dropped substantially, and by 2020, only 25 percent of 16-year-olds and 45 percent of 17-year-olds have a driver’s license, the consulting firm said citing data from the U.S. Federal Highway Administration.

Rare Gen Z W (as a Gen Z).

I thought this was mainly an European movement, but looking at this it appears that the USA too, despite being a mostly car oriented country, is following suit. Nice.

The article also mentions how having a car might have become too expensive for many, which isn’t something to party about, but I am mostly concerned with young people no longer rushing to grab a licence the second they turn 18 (or earlier, depending on local country laws). Hopefully this will help shaping urban planning in a more sensible and humane direction.

  • Nerd02OPMEnglish
    1•10 months ago

    Running costs and upkeep? Not sure I follow. This is just the cost of getting a driver’s licence through a driving school, so a small part of the money goes to the state (bureaucracy and whatnot), while a sizeable chunk goes to the school for teaching and letting me use their car to practice (strictly during driving lessons).

    It doesn’t include the costs of having a personal vehicle, insurance, car tax or anything like that. I don’t own a car. This was just about the licence.

    • @Z3k3English
      1•10 months ago

      That’s kind of my point. The licence may be relatively cheap but if you can’t afford the varvits a very expensive piece of plastic.

      I suspect with the financial climate of the last 15 or so years many have concluded they are unlikely to afford a car so there’s little point in getting a license.